Sunday, November 23, 2014

Fight the Flu Naturally

Apparently it’s flu season, or at least that’s what I’m being told.
Me? I haven’t had the flu in about 8 years or a sinus infection. Yep,
you heard that right, at least 8 years. This is coming from someone
who used to have 2 sinus infections every year and was constantly sick
during the winter months. Sound familiar? I know I’m not the only
person who used to suffer.

So how did I do it? How did I go from being an extremely fit and an
otherwise healthy person who was still getting sick to an extremely fit,
healthy girl who doesn’t get sick? Well, the short answer is getting
adjusted. But more than that, I started to evaluate all of the small
triggers that were compromising my immune system and changed them one by
one.

It took me awhile to figure all of this out, and it seems only right
that I put it all together and help out as many people as possible.

Fight the Flu Naturally1) Get Adjusted: Many people think of chiropractic as a
source of relief for back and neck pain and it is! But more importantly
chiropractic is a way to maintain a healthy nervous system. The nervous
system is responsible for all cell and tissue health in the body. The
brain controls everything and it relays it’s messages to rest of the
body through the nervous system. The spinal cord is the main highway
for information, when the spinal cord is under intense pressure and
cannot relay messages effectively, the rest of the body starts to
suffer. You can’t fight off diseases, illnesses, messages get mixed,
your body might attack itself (autoimmune), or you may experience pain.

For me, my cervical spine was out of place and was causing just
enough pressure to irritate my Eustachian tube. The tube that runs from
your ears, down your throat. When the pressure changed outside bacteria
would get caught in this kink in the tube and grow and fester and cause
infections. Once I started removing the pressure, the tubes were free
and the bacteria didn’t get trapped and wasn’t able to grow into an
infection.

2) Drink Plenty of Water: Water flushes everything
bad out of your body. The more water you drink, the greater turnover
you will have in your body. Meaning, that your system is able to round
up the allergens, bacteria and viruses and send them on their way. So,
it’s really important to drink half your body weight in ounces everyday.

3) Use a Humidifier: During the winter months, we
turn our heat on and the heat dries out the air. When this happens, our
nasal mucosa dry out as well. The mucus we produce is essential for
trapping dust, debris, bacteria, viruses and allergens. So when your
mucus is dried out, you have a greater chance of allowing these foreign
invaders to pass into your system. Using a humidifier in the air can
help to re-moisturize the air and provide some much needed hydration to
your nasal mucosa.

4) Supplements: Now is the time, to take your
vitamin C, B12, probiotics, D, etc… Many people get a great dose of
vitamins in the summer from the sun (vitamin D) to fresh fruits and
veggies (vitamin C, B12, etc…) when winter hits we are not getting as
much of these and can fall victim to illness and disease. Therefore, if
you live in the frozen tundra (Buffalo,NY – my original home) you need
to be extra conscientious that in the winter months you keep up on
supplements. These will boost your immune system.

5) Exercise: It’s really easy to get extra exercise
in during the summer months, and much harder once it’s cold and snowing.
Exercise is a natural way to improve your immune system. It keeps
your whole body healthy: muscles, lungs, nerves, and releases
endorphins to make you happy! So don’t forget to pop in your favorite
DVD, or go to your favorite gym and get your sweat on.

6) MOST IMPORTANT!!!!!!! ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME!What good is keeping yourself healthy if everyone around you is
getting sick and can’t have fun with you? Spread the word on how easy it
is to stay healthy. Seriously people, those are not hard steps to take
to keep the flu at bay.

You’ll be saving:1) Money at the doctors office2) Saving “sick time” for beautiful spring and summer days3) No more prescriptions for antibiotics which we all know are being abused anyways4) Enjoying all of the holiday parties and family get togethersYou’ll be gaining:1) New appreciation for fall and winter2) A fabulous fit body from all the exercise3) Increased energy4) No more fatigueThese may seem too good to be true, but this is my strategy and it’s
worked fabulously. I have talked with many colleagues and friends who
have done similar strategies and it’s always the same outcome, no more
sickness.So give it a try, drink some water, take your vitamins, exercise and get adjusted, you’ll be glad you did.About the Author:Dr. Morgan Crowley has her Bachelor’s in Exercise Physiology
and her Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine. She is committed to
providing her community both locally and at large with quality
information that they can use in their own personal lives. She resides
in Mount Pleasant, SC with her two dogs and enjoys running her Atlas
Orthogonal Chiropractic office, Weight Loss Coaching, and Blogging.
Inquiries can be sent to mcrowleydc@gmail.com or feel free to check out her blog at www.theeverydayhealth.com .